4. Reddi-Bacon
Why Reddi-Bacon is on the same page with purple ketchup, celery soda, and 6 other crazy foods flopped terribly? Let’s see. When you just can’t be bothered with the extenuating task of picking up a pan and home cooking good old-fashioned bacon, use Reddi-Bacon and set your kitchen on fire! This pre-cooked bacon first appeared on the market in 1964, and is today considered “ahead of its time”. The sachets consisted of absorbent paper wrapped in foil, and went straight into the household toaster; within 90 seconds you’d be eating crispy bacon. However, the envelopes were soon found to malfunction, since the grease melted by the heat was too much for the packages to hold, and therefore dripped into the toaster, ruining it, and possibly starting a grease fire.
What surprises me the most is how poorly they addressed the grease, not as a problem, but as an attribute. The reason bacon is so delicious is precisely that it’s fried in its own fat, so how could they be so sloppy? Better package=more fat for frying=yummier! It’s basic! Also, it’d be cool to still have a working toaster by the time breakfast is over, you know, in case you want some toast with your bacon or something.
